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Sylanwood, East Tarrabria: Abyssal Keep, Time: 3:20 PM
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James and Mianne were walking down the cobblestone path as they headed to Abyssal Keep to meet up with Bada.
"The wind here is calmer," Mianne stated, breathing in the fresh sea air. It wasn't far from the station; it just took a bit of walking to get there.
"Mhm, I wonder what kind of job Bada is going to give me," James pondered. He was surprised that Bada would offer him a job like this.
Mianne let out a 'hmph' before looking up to see the castle in front of them. "Well, here we are!" The castle loomed ahead.
As Mianne and James approached the soaring medieval castle perched above Tarrabria's glittering harbor, they craned their necks to take in the spectacle.
Ivy climbed the weathered stone walls, waving gently in the ocean breeze.
Guards stood posted at attention by an arching wooden door, ornate metalwork glinting in the sunlight.
"Woah! Now that's what I call a castle!" Mianne stated as both of them walked in. The guard decided to open the door for them.
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Sylanwood, East Tarrabria: Abyssal Keep: Floor 1, Time: 3:30 PM
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Inside the castle, a collection of props and ancient artifacts were showcased within clear glass cubes. The floor was smooth marble, immaculately cleaned.
"Holy..." Mianne's jaw dropped. Though she had been inside the castle of Diremaw, this was far cleaner than expected.
"Yeah, I know, right?" James agreed, feeling like his boots were too dirty to set foot in such a pristine environment.
Someone descended the middle staircase with echoing footsteps, drawing their attention.
"God, I have to be the one buying groceries..." It was a familiar rough tone, but it wasn't Bada; it was Erik.
Erik looked down to see the two of them, with James slowly hiding behind Mianne. "You brats!" Erik was irritated, but now he was just mad.
"James? Why is this bulldog coming toward us?" Mianne was confused, while James winced, realizing he shouldn't have come here.
"I don't know! But I am probably gonna get my ribcage and spine crushed by him," James stated, causing Mianne's eyes to widen, and she went into full protection mode.
Erik stomped his way toward them, ready to tear James apart again. This time, he made sure no one would get in his way. "Alright, move out of the way, lady," Erik ordered, but Mianne didn't budge.
"I am not letting you touch him," Mianne's body started to surround itself in a dark aura.
Erik growled a little, "What are you even gonna do? Slap me?" He was ready to test her, but he felt her aura intensifying, similar to when Kiara was angry.
Both of them glared at each other, with Erik attempting to move around her, but she wouldn't let him near Jamie.
Before Erik could do anything, a hand was on his shoulder, causing him to groan.
"Oi, I ain't done with these two yet-" Before he could finish, a pot was on his head, and a frying pan smacked his head, causing it to shake. Erik staggered for a bit.
"There we go, now you can go and stop bothering my guests." It was Bada, slowly guiding the dizzy Erik to the front door before closing it, clearing his hand of the dust.
Mianne's dark aura disappeared. "Thank you so much for that. I was about to give him a handful of my mind..." Mianne sighed before rubbing James's head to let him know that it was clear.
James looked around before spotting Bada. "Bada!" He was excited now, hoping to learn new things.
"James, you have arrived!" Bada was excited as well before clearing his throat. "Before we talk about the jobs, I should show you around!" Bada decided to lead them around, with the duo following behind.
Bada led Mianne and James through the immaculate halls of the castle, pointing out various artifacts and treasures along the way.
"As you can see, we have quite the collection here," he explained, gesturing to a display of jeweled weapons and armor. "Many of these date back centuries to the earliest days of the kingdom."
Mianne's eyes shone with awe as she took in the sparkling gems and polished metalwork. "It's beautiful. I can't believe how well-preserved everything is."
James nodded in agreement, though his mind was spinning as he tried to estimate the value of the pieces based on the size, cut, and clarity of the gemstones.
They continued to a hall lined with painted portraits and tapestries depicting epic battles and triumphant heroes. Bada recounted some of the most famous tales and conquests of the kingdom's history.
"And this one! James, pay attention to this." Bada pushed open the door to a room filled with modern artifacts and items.
All of them contained Custodiae Prototypes, Discrimen Prototypes, an orange gun that seemed like a specialized tool, and much more.
"This is where BOC has been preserving some of their history as well." Bada walked down the hall with the duo's eyes wandering everywhere. "We agreed to split Tarrabria into our separate branches, which is why we are staying here for a month."
James decided to ask a question, "So, is this why the festival happens once a year?" He had some knowledge about it, but he wanted to delve further.
"Mhm, it's either Director Kristen or my father who arranges these types of events." Bada finally stopped at the last item, a ball of yarn with colors resembling those from a dream, combined with different hues.
"Woah, what's this?" Mianne asked, unable to take her eyes off it.
"This is the Yarn of Dream." Bada could still feel the softness he experienced viewing it. "BOE got in contact with one of the rarest Eldritch around 20 years ago: The Dream Sheep." Bada had seen it back then; it was the most gorgeous thing he had ever seen.
"They found a safe method to extract its wool to make these and created one of the most powerful materials we could ever obtain." Bada pressed his hand against the glass, feeling the soft and comforting texture. "From then on, we could make DOP Power Suits, and a skilled tailor could shape the yarn into anything."
"I see..." Mianne then asked an important question, "How much does it cost to make one?"
"Oh, about 100,000 Glory credits, which is around a million gold..." Bada stated, leaving James shattered into pieces like glass, while Mianne just sighed at him.
"Well, we've spent enough time in here. Shall we head up?" Bada suggested, with both of them nodding, even though James was now a pile of glass. Bada led them out of the room, with the yarn still glowing in solitude.
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Sylanwood, East Tarrabria: Abyssal Keep: Floor 5, Time: 3:40 PM
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They all arrived at the top floor of the castle, choosing to skip other floors for now as Bada wanted to maintain a safe distance from Freya for a bit.
It didn't take long for them to reach the top, with the BOE installing an elevator system in the castle. It was quite a feat, involving a lot of spider crawling during the installation.
"And here we are!" The elevator doors opened, and Bada walked in first, with the duos following behind like siblings.
"Father, he has arrived," Bada stated, and Asmon's figure remained hidden in the sunlight's shadow, creating an intimidating presence for Mianne and James.
"Good job, Bada. May I speak to him?" Asmon asked, and Bada reassured him to go ahead.
"Don't worry about my father; he's a kind spirit." Bada smiled, causing James to nod.
James took a slow breath before sitting down on the couch, feeling a bit nervous, while Mianne sat beside him.
"Bada, who is she?" Asmon asked before his figure finally emerged as Bada closed the curtain, calming the duo down.
"She's part of The Lucky Inquisitors. She protected James from Erik, so could she stay with us?" Bada asked, preparing some tea for the guest and his father.
"Of course. Now then..." Asmon stared at them, his eyes radiating intensity, "let's talk about the job."
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